Hamilton County Oral History Project

Hamilton County Oral History Project

by English teacher and speech coach Cathie English

"I wanted students to somehow connect with their community. I wanted them to learn something about what makes our community "tick" so to speak. I hoped my students would learn something about the stories and histories of local farmers. I also wanted the farmers to realize somethingabout their own lives. Many of them were able to lookd back on their lives and see that they have accomplished a lot. I think that is wonderful."

Student Writers talk about the project:

"Agriculture in our community is very important. We live in a rural community and everything is based off farming. Farming is of great importance to Ron's family; it is his way of life and always has been." Brandon"Two things I learned: 1) his farm was homesteaded in 1886 by his great grandfather and it has been in the family ever since, and 2) his favaorite part of farming is harvest because you get the feeling of accomplishment, because in the spring you start new life by planing and you take care of it all summer, then fall rolls around and it is time for harvest." Bobby

"I learned that you should never take farmers for granted because farm work is pretty hard and so farmers do know how to get a little dirt on their faces." Jill

"I learned that farming is HUGE in Nebraska because we are one of the largest corn producing states in the U.S. and people are dependent on our crops." Matt